Spray coater for shoes and the like



July 2. 1968 c. H. MCDERMOTT 3,390,660

SPRAY COATER FOR SHOES AND THE LIKE Filed. July 28, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet1 INUENT'QK @0924. :5 H. Mc 05.0mm

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ATTDRNEY$ J ly 1968 c. H. M DERMOfT 3,390,660

SPRAY COATER FOR SHOES AND THE LIKE Filed. July 28, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet2 I NV E NTO 2 Cline 1.5 5 H. M4. DEEmarr July 2, 1968 c. H. MCDERMOTT3,390,660

SPRAY COATER FOR SHOES AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 28, 1966\1 I llllm i O {a 0 J4 J 7a 25 o 7:? r f -MW H INUEN'T'OE. O/flAEfi h.046059010- av AM, Maw 3244* ATTORNE I$ United States Patent 3,390,660SPRAY COATER FOR SHOES AND THE LIKE Charles H. McDermott, Milwaukee,Wis, assignor to Weyenberg Shoe Manufacturing Company, mlwaukee, Wis., acorporation of Wisconsin Filed July 28, 1966, Ser. No. 568,448 4 Claims.(Cl. 118-2) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE When work to be coated is placedon a turntable, a microswitch is closed to initiate rotation of theturntable and the operation of a spraying device which delivers dye orwax or other coating to the work in the course of work rotation. After asingle rotation, the work comes to rest and the spray concurrentlyterminates.

The rate of rotation is sufficiently slow so that no connection of theshoe to the turntable is required. The weight of the shoe on theturntable is not quite suflicient to close the switch but the momentumof the shoe as it is placed on the turntable is sufiicient to initiatethe operation and the rotation of the turntable earns the switch to holdit closed until one revolution has been completed.

In one embodiment the shoe is oh? center on the turntable and the axisof the spray is oblique, the objective being to provide the heaviestcoating on the vamp portions of the shoe. This gives remarkably uniformresults but even more uniformity is secured in a second embodiment inwhich the shoe may be centered but a pattern rotatable with theturntable moves the spray gun back and forth so that its distance fromthe shoe is substantially constant.

Background of the invention Shoes have been spray coated by hand forapproximate- 1y 30 years, more or less. The coatings used have neverbeen quite uniform. In the hand coating operation, the operator placesone hand within the shoe and turns the shoe from side to side in anintricate pattern while manipulating the spray gun with the other hand.This Pattern of manipulation is such that considerable skill isinherently required and numerous chances of error are involved. Thedevice of the present invention is not particularly more rapid than themanual coating procedure but it does give very substantially improveduniformity of coating, with more economical use of materials and withoutany requirement for special skill or training. The time required isabout two minutes. The material used is only 2 to 2 /2 ounces per dozenshoes when the present invention is employed as compared with 4 ouncesper dozen in the hand operation. Particulars are by way of example andnot by way of limitation.

Description of the invention In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view fragmentarily showing apparatus embodying theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a view of the apparatus in side elevation with portions shownin section.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view taken in section on theline 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view showing the microswitch inelevation and the control cam in axial section.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the cam.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a modified embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 7 is a view taken in section on the line 7--7 of FIG. 6.

3,390,660 Patented July 2, 1968 "ice The table 6 supports a bearing 8for a tubular spindle .10 having upper and lower collars 12 and 14fixing its axial position with respect to the bearing. Support 16 depending from the table carries a gear-head motor 18 which is connectedby belt 20 with a pulley 22 on the spindle. The output shaft 24 of themotor operates at about 57 r.p.m. and the spindle is turned atapproximately 19 r.p.m. It will be understood that the particulars aregiven by way of example and not by way of limitation.

The shoe to be coated is shown at 26. It is mounted on a turntablesupport 28 having a shouldered oifset at 30 for the heel 32 of the shoe.Thereby the shoe is so located that its vamp portion 34 is centered overthe spindle 10.

The turntable 28 is disposed at the upper end of a shaft 36 whichextends axially through the spindle and rotates therewith. The shaft isaxially yieldable subject to the bias of supporting spring 38. Its rangeof movement is preferably limited by an arrangement which includes atransverse bolt 49 through the spindle and through a slot 42 in shaft36. The length of the slot determines the range of vertical movementpermitted to the shaft 36. The bolt also assures transmission ofrotative movement from the spindle to the shaft.

Below the spindle 10 the shaft 36 carries at its lower end a cam disk 44having in its periphery an arcuate notch 46 spanned by a plate 48.Projecting into the notch 46 at a level above the bottom of the disk butnormally out of contact with plate 48 is the roller 50 at the upper endof the actuator 52 of a normally open microswitch 54. The arrangement issuch that when the cam disk 44 is engaged with roller 50, themicroswitch is held closed. When the rotation of the cam disk brings thenotch 46 into registry with roller 50, the microswitch opens. There isvery slight clearance between the roller 50 and plate 48. The spring 38is so related to the weight of the shoe 26 as to be normally capable ofsupporting the shaft 36 in a position in which there is no contactbetween plate 48 and the roller 50. However, the downward momentum ofthe shoe at the time it is placed on the support 28 will be suflicientto depress the shaft 36 to close the microswitch. The microswitch isconnected in series with the motor 18 to initiate motor operation forthe rotation of the spindle and the shaft. During initial motoroperation the unnotched portion of the cam 44 will ride onto the roller50 to hold the microswitch closed for continued operation forapproximately one revolution.

The microswitch is also in circuit with a solenoid 60 having itsarmature 62 connected by yoke 64 with the trigger 66 of a conventionalspray gun 68, which has an air supply connection at 70 and a coatingsolution hose at 72. The nozzle 74 of the spray gun is of a type toproject a spray of coating in the form of amist rather than a jet. Thecoating may, for example, be a dye solution, or a wax and solventsolution or suspen- SlOIl.

It Will be noted that the axis of the spray is indicated by a brokenline at 76 which is oblique with reference to the plane of rotation ofthe shoe on shaft 36. Due to the oblique inclination and due to the factthat the shoe is somewhat offset, the vamp portion of the shoe will getmore of the coating than either the toe or the heel. This is desiredbecause the vamp has greater area. The angular movement of the toe 78across the spray is relatively much more rapid than the movement of thevamp portions 34. The movement of the heel or counter 80 is still morerapid.

In use, the operator simply lays the work upon the rotatable support 28.The impact closes the switch to start the rotation of the shaft and thework and at the same time to initiate the operation of the spray. Thenotched portion of the cam 44 will pass from registry with the roller 50while the motor continues in operation. The plate 44 will then hold theswitch closed until one revolution has been completed. At that time theshaft and the work will come to rest and the spray will be cut off. Theoperator will remove the coated shoe and replace it with a new workpiece, whereupon the operation will be repeated.

The coating operation differs radically from that which has been usedfor hand coating over a period of years. In the use of the instantdevice, great uniformity 18 secured by the uniform rate of rotation, theuniform distance of the spray from the axis of rotation, and also by theoffset of the shoe in a plane of rotation to which the axis of the sprayis oblique.

As compared with the old hand-tooling operation, the device shown inFIGS. 1 to 5 inclusive gives uniformity which is visually apparent.However, even greater uniformity is provided by the device shown inFIGS. 6 and 7 wherein the arrangement is identical except that the spraygun 68 is mounted on a carriage 71 which comprises a bar 73 reciprocablethrough guide bearings '75 and having a roller crosshead 78 operable ona plate 80 on the underside of the table 6. Tension springs 82 tend tomove the carriage to the right as viewed in FIGS. 6 and 7 to hold thecam follower roller 84, mounted on the bar 73, against a cam 86 which iscarried by the shaft 36. By reason of this arrangement, the spring isheld at a constant or substantially constant distance from the shoe inall positions of the shoe as it rotates on the turntable 28.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for the spray coating of a work piece which comprises, incombination, a support for a work piece, means for rotating the supportto rotate the work piece in a predetermined plane, and a spray gundirected toward the work piece support, the work piece supportcomprising a spindle, a shaft extending through the spindle and axiallyyieldable with respect to the spindle, a turntable n the shaft, a springsupport for the shaft having sufiicient bias to sustain the shaft and awork piece on the turntable, the means for rotating the supportcomprising a motor having driving connection with the spindle, a cam onthe shaft for rotation and axial movement therewith, said cam having arecess of limited angular extent, a motor energizing circuit havingswitch means including an actuator adapted to be engaged by the cam forholding the switch means closed, the switch means being normally openand adapted to be closed by the momentum of a workpiece placed on theturntable, whereby to initiate rotation of the turntable and theworkpiece, the switch means being held closed during such rotation byengagement of the cam therewith.

2. A device for spray coating shoes and comprising a rotatable andyieldable support for a shoe to be coated, a spindle having an axiallyyieldable shaft connected with the support, means mounting the spindlefor rotation, a driving connection from the spindle t0 the shaft, aspring sustaining the support and shaft from the spindle and havingsufficient bias to sustain a shoe on the support, the spring beingyieldable in response to the momentum of the shoe as it is placed on thesupport, a motor having a driving connection with the spindle, a switchoperatively connected in circuit with the motor and having an actuator,a cam connected with the shaft and engageable with the actuator forholding the switch closed in the course of shaft rotation, said camhaving a portion provided with a recess of angularly limited extentwhich is normally out of contact with the actuator and engage abletherewith when the shaft is depressed by the momentum of a shoe pressedon the support, the bias of the spring being sufficient to release theactuator from the recessed portion of the cam after the shaft andsupport have made a predetermined rotation, a spray gun having a nozzledirected toward the support upon an axis which is oblique with referenceto the plane of rotation of the support, electromagnetic means forenergizing the spray gun, and means controlled by the switch forsupplying current to said energizing means.

3. A device according to claim 2 in which the said driving connectioncomprises a cross pin on the spindle for which the shaft is providedwith a slot.

4. A device according to claim 2 in which the cam comprises a diskhaving a peripheral notch spanned by a plate to provide said recess, theactuator having a roller normally at a level below the plate and abovethe bottom of the disk.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,917,470 7/1933 Uden 11832,316,959 4/1943 Hinkley et al. 1l8321 2,770,211 11/ 1956 Gustafson1l8320 X 3,324,625 6/1967 Dulmage 118323 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,192,0494/1959 France.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. JOHN P. MCINTOSH, AssistantExaminer.

